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Located in the Catskill Mountains, this land was recognized by indigenous peoples over a century ago as a place of healing. Come experience the natural world from a place of heart and connection. Learn more »

"The teachings are for all, not just for Indians...The white people never wanted to learn before...Now they have a different understanding, and they do want to learn. We are all children of God. The tradition is open to anyone who wants to learn. But who really wants to learn?" —Don Jose Matsuwa, Huichol, 1989Learn more »

I do not think the measure of a civilization is how tall its buildings of concrete are, But rather how well its people have learned to relate to their environment and fellow man. —Sun Bear of the Chippewa TribeLearn more »

with
Eliot Cowan, Justin Starting, Linda Felch & Scott Sheerin

with
Eliot Cowan

Blue Deer Center News

What is the active ingredient in plant spirit medicine? Eliot Cowan tells us that the answer is friendship. In this edition of Insights at the Edge, the author of Plant Spirit Medicine speaks with Tami Simon about engaging in a friendship with plant spirits, and compares the act of connecting with plant spirits in your local area versus working with the spirits of plants from distant places. Tami and Eliot also discuss “great teacher plants”. (73 minutes)

"... healing is quite mysterious. If we can say it’s about anything, it’s about balance and restoring balance. But that raises the question of, “Balance with what?”

One way of answering that is to say that everything that gave us our life in the first place —and maintains and nourishes and sustains our life—is present and came from what we call “the natural world.” Or simply nature. That’s what we’re made of, and that’s what sustains our lives. So, to be in good health is to be in balance with those forces that create and sustain the natural world."

Losing any ancestral culture of tradition on our planet is a deep loss to ourselves—and the soul of this planet. By fostering this home for the Elders, the Blue Deer Center’s intention is to establish a repository of heart where you and I, with guidance from the Elders, can practice, learn, and heal.

The Home Project is about making a good home for ancient wisdom traditions and the ancient wisdom keepers, who are the holders of those traditions. These traditions were given to our ancestors and have helped us get along with the world, have a good life, survive, and thrive, down to the many, many, many years of hard times, and better times. Under today’s conditions, some of these traditional teachings and practices don’t really have a home anymore. That’s not a very good situation. Not for the tradition holders, or for the people who could benefit from having contact with those traditional teachings and practices, which are just as relevant today as they ever were. So, one of the questions is, "Where does one go to have contact with that? To learn and to grow from those noble ancient traditions?"